Thank you for doing this!
Trip planning is one of my biggest challenges right now. I’ve been looking for an app that will help and just dl’d truck path.
I have 2 loads scheduled and was trying to figure out when to start my clock. I realized that if it delivers at 0600, I don’t dare start it until 1800. Google maps has been super helpful.
What’s a good weather app?
How much time padding should I add to the google estimates? Car vs truck.
Thanks again!
Cheers,
G
Being a landscaper I use my weather apps all the time. The two I use have been very reliable, accuweather and weather channel. Both are nation wide and free
I use weather channel. figure out your time at 50mph... add time for a 30 min, fuel, and bathroom breaks.
google gps can mess you up cause we are governed. use it for a satellite view of customers and parking.
The Mother Road. I couldn't pass up planning a trip along the world famous Route 66. My overall route is pretty straight forward. I-44 to I-40 to I-15 into the "Inland Empire." My overnight stops are the West Bound picnic area at exit 13 near Boise, Texas, Love's Williams, Arizona, and Love's at Barstow, California.
I will be pushing my 11 to make the first two overnight stops. But other than PTI, I shouldn't have to burn a lot of my 14. I also have quite a bit of cushion built into my overall trip plan. So if I stay ahead of my benchmarks, I will have the luxury to stop at roadside attractions for 15 minutes here and there. I have a few roadside attractions planned as part of the route. See below from when I did Route 66 in 2017.
My schedule has me getting into the Barstow Love's about noon on December 12. I plan to leave Barstow the next morning about 5:00 a.m. CST which will get me into the receiver about 4:30 a.m. PST. I may leave even earlier. At that time of the morning there shouldn't be a lot of traffic. There is a TA and Petro near the receiver. Also there is an industrial court right near the receiver, where Google street view shows a truck parked:
Below is a link to my spreadsheet for trip planning. Don't worry about messing it up as I have an Excel version on my computer.
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In keeping with Brett's vision of educating and encouraging, I decided to post one real trip per week as a trip planning exercise.
This is for newbies who need extra practice, or someone just starting CDL school. Trip planning and time management can be difficult but practice makes perfect, so get a jump on it to make rookie life easier and start earning that money faster.
The "empty miles" is what you will drive right now to your pick up. The "loaded miles" are the miles between your pick up and delivery.
Use your atlas to find your best route, and be sure to add extra time for any cities, mountains, fuel stops, 30 min breaks, and your 10 hour breaks. The weight of the load and terrain can burn more fuel, so be sure to stop and fuel! Use Trucker Path or a truck stop guide book to help you select parking and fuel stops. Be sure to plan to park after the customer. Use a weather app to check the radar ahead.
Remember: You can only drive 11 hours per day must include a vehicle inspection, must abide by the 14 hour clock. (see the High Road for HOS)
*****This is a preloaded trailer I drove out of the Springfield MO terminal.
Picked up 12/10 at 0800 Deliver at 12/13 at 0500
Remember time zone changes. Cannot arrive more than 30 min early do look on google maps & trucker path for "staging areas". You want to get as close as you can as sson as possible then have a close place to wait. Look for parked trucks on streets.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.